32 vehicle theft cases busted; duo from TN held

SUVs lifted in Mysore, B'lore were disposed off in TN and Kerala

In a major haul, city police claim to have busted 32 vehicle theft cases, besides a theft case registered in different police stations in the city, recovering articles worth around Rs 60 lakh. The police have arrested four persons in this regard.

Addressing the media on Friday, Police Commissioner M A Saleem said that among the cases detected, the one cracked by Mandi police led by Inspector Lakshmikanth Talawar assumes significance, as nine sports utility vehicles had been lifted in the recent days. 

Ibrahim alias Appa Bhai, aged 30 years and his accomplice Anwar Ali, 27 years from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu were arrested in the case and nine sports utility vehicles, all Boleros worth around Rs 50 lakh, were recovered from them.

The duo had lifted the vehicles parked in front of the houses, on the road in the limits of Metagalli, V V Puram, Nazarbad and Devaraja stations in Mysore and one in Bangalore, while the owners of the remaining vehicles are being traced.

Saleem said that the vehicles had been sold to different parties in Tamil Nadu and Kerala for a song. The demand for engines of such vehicles for motorboats in the neighbouring States may have compelled the accused to dispose the vehicles there, Saleem added.

DCP (Crime and traffic) M M Mahadevaiah said, another accused who had purchased the vehicles from the two is yet to be traced. Ibrahim is a known offender at his native Tamil Nadu. 

Explaining their modus operandi, Mahadevaiah said that the duo would convince the buyers that the vehicles were seized by financial firms from loan defaulters, and were available for a cheaper price. To substantiate this, they would hand over the photocopy of the RC books belonging to the vehicles.

Theft case

In another case, K R Police who apprehended a youth on robbery charges, later succeeded in discovering that he was also involved in various vehicle theft cases. The police have recovered valuables, including vehicles worth Rs 5.05 lakh from him.

Hussain Shariff, aged 26 years from Neelasandra in Bangalore was making away with silver valuables during early hours of September 2, when the investigators, led by Inspector H Parashuramappa  nabbed him. 

Hussain, along with his accomplice, who is still at large, had barged into the house of Ramegowda, in Vidyaranyapuram. The duo allegedly assaulted Ramegowda, who was living alone, before tying him to a chair. Later they had decamped with silver valuables and Rs 500.

However, Hussain was caught several hours later. During interrogation, he confessed that he had lifted 12 two-wheelers in K R police limits, one each in Udaygiri and Lashkar. 

Vehicle lifter

Metagalli police arrested Chandru from Bannur and recovered nine two-wheelers worth Rs 3.60 lakh from him. Following his arrest, cases registered in Devaraja, Nazarbad, Lakshmipuram, V V Puram, J L Puram and Lakshmipuram stations have been solved.